The Reeperbahn Festival wants to set an example, dare something new and give newcomers a stage. But even the big ones can have a go. About to start. Several stars rocked the stage and the street.
The start of this year’s Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg was brilliant. So not only Jan Delay, Zoe Wees, Ellie Goulding and surprise guest Udo Lindenberg were on stage during the official part. In addition, the band Kraftklub and Tokio Hotel singer Bill Kaulitz paralyzed traffic on the Reeperbahn for a long time with a spontaneous live performance. Several thousand people stood in front of the open-air stage, enthusiastically cheered the five-piece band from Saxony and let themselves be carried away by the music.
It was always a dream of the band to play on the Reeperbahn, said Kraftklub frontman Felix Kummer. And Hamburg’s cult rocker Lindenberg had previously sung the Kiez song “Reeperbahn” together with Jan Delay at the official opening and then said to the audience: “I wish you a great Reeperbahn Festival.” Festival boss Alexander Schulz is hoping for around 40,000 visitors by Saturday evening.
Flaming plea for climate protection
At the start, the organizers and artists also took time for other important social issues. British singer Ellie Goulding made a passionate plea for climate protection after her performance. And Natalia Klitschko, estranged wife of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, spoke about the current situation in the cultural sector in her country.
“I’m so proud of the Ukrainian musicians who are traveling the world right now and carrying on our lives, our history and our culture. People are paying attention to us now and they see that we are not stuck in the past. We are metal , we are pop, we are techno and we are hip-hop.” Klitschko advocated that everyone should be open and curious about the art and culture of other, unknown countries – even without war and crises.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) said: “In the face of war, it is of crucial importance that the democracies of the world stand together in peace and freedom. This is the message from Hamburg tonight.”
Little distance, hardly any masks, good mood
The club and industry festival brings around 400 acts onto the city’s stages. The full concerts almost feel as if there is no longer a corona pandemic. Little distance, hardly any face masks, many people in a good mood.
The artists from Germany and abroad mainly play in the Hamburg clubs around the neighborhood, which, at least for a short time, are the focus of public attention. The interest group Clubkombinat Hamburg hopes that the attention will last longer. Because in the clubs, normality is far from back. “The Reeperbahn Festival 2022 should be used to exchange ideas intensively about the future of club culture,” said the Clubkombinat board of the German Press Agency when asked.
And the association also has demands on politicians. “If no new state aid is given after 2023, there is a risk of the event industry collapsing, which will initially affect the music clubs.” Later, the entire ecosystem of the music industry would be affected by a lack of work for young people – and this would also threaten the existence of many artists. “That’s why we want Europe’s biggest club festival to send the message: ‘Save club culture – The Show Must Go On’.”
The festival is considered an important meeting place for the industry and wants to show a cross-section of the national and international music scene. The industry developments are also the focus of the accompanying specialist conference. (dpa)